Welcome to Paradise

I always did love that Green Day song, but yet it really doesn't describe the paradise that is Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

After three weeks in Thailand, Jeff and I left for the unknown - Bali. We had become very comfortable with Thailand - the prices, the food, the people. It all became very familiar. It was paradise, and we loved it.

I am happy to say that within just a few hours of arriving in Bali, I came to decide that *this* is really paradise. Bali is amazing! We started our adventures in Ubud, a fun little artsy town in the center of the island. We were nowhere near a beach, yet there was water everywhere - mostly because it rained every single day. We would wake up to beautiful sunny weather, and by around 1 or 2pm each day there would be a downpour like you couldn't imagine. It rained in sheets, yet it was beautiful.

The only other time I can remember loving the rain so much was when I visited Costa Rica in 2005/6. In Bali, like in Costa Rica, it rains for several hours each day, and when it does it is beautiful. You couldn't imagine the green that you see during the rain here. You can read about it in books (as I did), but it is so incredible to see it for yourself. It is so lush! There are tropical trees of all kinds, surrounded by tropical flowers, and if you look through all of that you can find the amazing moss-covered temple architecture that describes Ubud.

Ubud, Bali

Rice Paddy - Ubud, Bali

Rice Paddy - Ubud, Bali

Rice Paddy - Ubud, Bali

Rice Paddy - Ubud, Bali

Rice Paddy - Ubud, Bali

Rice Paddy - Ubud, Bali

Legong Dance - Ubud, Bali

Legong Dance - Ubud, Bali

Legong Dance - Ubud, Bali

Jeff and I had one particularly amazing day in Ubud. We got up and went for a run around the rice paddies - amazing!, then went to a vinyasa yoga class, and then got massages for $10 each. They were 90 minute Balinese (kind of like deep tissue) massages with a salt scrub at the end. The salt scrub was a little
"developing" world. It was real big-crystal salt, and it hurt. I had scratches afterward, but the massage was great!!! We went out to a Warung (little traditional Indonesian bistro) for dinner, and then to a little coffee shop and had a couple of beers and listened to a cover band. They played mostly American music, but they sang it in "engrish". It was hilarious, and so fun. Jeff and I even got up and sang a few tunes with them. Live karaoke is always good, right?! I sang "Stand By Me" and Jeff sang "Fly Me to the Moon". We had a great time.

Sundowners - Ubud, Bali

Live Karaoke Band - Ubud, Bali

Ikan Bakar - Ubud, Bali

We also had an awesome time taking a Balinese/Indonesian Cooking class. We were stuffed by the end, and now we've got even more recipes to add to our Southeast Asian repertoire.

Cooking Class - Bumbu Bali - Ubud, Bali

Cooking Class - Sayur Urab - Ubud, Bali

Cooking Class - Grilled Tuna - Ubud, Bali

Cooking Class - Satay Lilit - Ubud, Bali

Cooking Class - Ubud, Bali

Cooking Class - Sauteed Shrimp - Ubud, Bali

Sunset from the Ferry from Bali to Lombok

The next part of our adventures in paradise took us to Senggigi, Lombok, Indonesia. This was more like what is described in that Green Day song. "Craked streets", slums, etc. We hated it. We got swindled into staying in the worst room ever. The first night we had rats for roomates (they were in the ceiling scratching away all night), and the next night our bed broke at midnight (it had been held together with chicken wire - great). After moving into our third room in two days, we hit the pillow and slept. It might have been okay after that if when we woke up in the morning we had had a nozzle on our shower (instead the water came out in a dribble), and we would have been even happier if the toilet was connected and flushed (instead we had to bucket water into it to flush it - awesome). Needless to say, we were thrilled with the worst place we have stayed to date. Thankfully, Senggigi (like Ubud) had live karaoke. That is about all it had to offer in our opinion.

Senggigi, Lombok

Senggigi, Lombok

Senggigi, Lombok

Senggigi, Lombok

Senggigi, Lombok

Senggigi, Lombok

Dinner at a Warung - Senggigi, Lombok

Live Band Karaoke - Senggigi, Lombok

Live Band Karaoke - Senggigi, Lombok

Finally, we ended up in Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Indonesia - a tiny island off the coast of Senggigi. It was amazing! Jeff and I decided to get our Advanced Open Water certifications there. A load of reading and 5 dives later, we are now certified to dive up to 30m/100ft. Our favorite dive of all was a night dive around the house reef, where the dive shop owners have created what are called "Bio Rocks". These "rocks" are actually large metal dome structures through which a small current is passed to promote the growth of coral. They are pretty amazing, and in about 5-10 years they should be completely covered with coral, and provide shelter for the many fish species. Two things of note about our night dive: 1) We had the rare opportunity to see 5 white tip reef sharks! The leader of the pack circled us, and came within reaching distance of one of our dive buddies! 2) We played with bioluminescense. Bascially, if you turn of your torch you can wave your hands around, swim, etc. and see hundreds of tiny lights. It was awesome. I'm pretty sure I'm a wizard underwater. A very giggly wizard :)

Blue Marlin Diving - Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Manta Ray!!! Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Nitrogen Narcosis Test - Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

White Tip Reef Shark!!! Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Gili Trawangan, Lombok

Now, at last we are at the Westin in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. It's a nice break from guest houses, rats, and breaking beds. Breakfast, lunch, and cocktails/canapes are served in the Platinum lounge, we have hot fresh water showers, and it's absolutely beautiful here. In the words of Jack Banks, "I love my life!"